Playing With Fire ( part 22 of the series)
by Justright
Summary: It's two days till the wedding, will they make it or is there something to prevent Phoebe and Cole from getting married?


**Playing with Fire**

A kid of about fifteen years old was casually walking down the street. He looked for the world like a normal teenager with an attitude. A group of kids about the same age was following him, apparently just observing him. The boy approached a man in a t-shirt walking along. When he was close enough to touch him, he did just that, very lightly. Then, he quickly stepped away from the man, who seemed puzzled for a moment. The man then put his hand to his forehead, as if he was dizzy, and then he stopped short. All the while, he never seemed to have noticed the boy touching him.

The man vacillated in place, trying to get his strength back. Then, as he still felt weak, he spotted a bench and went to it slowly, sitting heavily, totally drained.

The kids did not wait long and rapidly entered a nearby alley behind the first boy, who turned triumphantly toward them. One of his friends approached him and asked, "How does it feel?"

To which the boy smiled.  
"Like I'm on top of the world! I just wished it lasted longer…"

"Can you really feel like that man," asked another.

"Totally! For a moment, I can feel everything they are, but with more strength than they'll ever have…"

"How's that possible?'

"It's magic…" 

His friends did not really understand, but they were still impressed, as the group started walking in the opposite direction, talking animatedly. Meanwhile, the man in the T-shirt was still slumped on the bench, unable to comprehend what had happened to him. He stayed there a very long time before he found that his strength had returned…

The Halliwell sisters and their men found themselves at the beach that day. This even though Phoebe had needed some convincing because she felt self-conscious… She was now in the third trimester of the pregnancy and showing too much for her own taste. However, Cole managed to convince her that she looked just fine and should enjoy herself. The fact was that the wedding being only two days away had them all on edge. Moreover, as they contemplated that the ceremony might not be any less difficult than Piper and Leo's had been, Phoebe, for one, could not stay in place. She was so worried that they had suggested the day off, if only to forget about the wedding for a while, and step away from their duties as witches.

As Piper had put it, "Even the charmed ones can take a break once in a while." 

They all agreed on that point. The three couples were then simply lying down and doing absolutely nothing besides getting a suntan.

Phoebe leisurely turned toward Cole.  
"Sweetie, I'm really thirsty. Would you mind?"

"Not at all," he answered, although he didn't really feel like going at all. "What would you like?"

Phoebe smiled, knowing full well that he was going reluctantly.  
"Just lemonade… Sweet…"

Cole, as he was getting up, "That's when I regret my promise about magic sometimes…"

Piper intervened.

"Don't be a grudge. And by the way, as you're going, why not bring some for all of us?" She said this while lazily looking up.

Cole agreed with a sour smile and moved toward the refreshment kiosk.

Prue watched him going, and then turned to Phoebe with a grin.  
"Who'd have thought he would be such a good caretaker?" she teased.

Phoebe smiled frankly, as she replied.  
"I never had a doubt."

Piper teased her as well.  
"Hum! Let's not go there."

Phoebe made her a face but didn't argue. She was too relaxed and happy that day to go down that road.

As Cole was coming back with his hands full, he crossed path with a small group of teenagers that almost made him lose his grip on the tray he was carrying. As he was a little upset about it, he didn't notice the boy who purposefully touched his arm for a second. However, he did feel the depletion of his strength with a little wonderment. Not enough to make him feel weak, but still noticeable. For a moment, he imagined that something supernatural might have happened, but then, he just put it on the long day in the sun and shrugged it off. It had only been a fleeting sensation, and by the time he returned to the others, it was over.

The kids had moved on quickly like the last time, but they still observed the man curiously when they saw him move on as if nothing happened. One of the girls turned to the first boy. "Hey Matt, didn't it work?"

Matt had felt a surge of power like never before and, the same as the others he couldn't understand the man's lack of reaction. He also sensed something else, something dark, but tempting at the same time. Matt continued observing the three couples attentively, while ignoring his friend's question. After a few minutes, another one among the teenagers expressed their frustration to Matt. "Hey, what happened?"

He grabbed Matt's arm while saying so, and this one pushed him rudely away. The boy glare at his friend.  
"Hey what did you do that for?"

Matt felt the sensation receding, and he finally realized what he had done.  
"I'm sorry, I don't know what got into me, but I do know it worked…"

"So why didn't he looked tired like the others?"

"I don't know." Then he added for himself, "But I'm going to find out."

Matt followed Cole and the others home later that day and, when he was certain that the man stayed there, he began to formulate a plan. He had to have more of this power, and he would get it by any possible mean. The dark feeling still lingered in his mind…

That night, in Phoebe's bedroom Cole exclaimed, "Owe!"

"What? You never complained when I touched you before?"

"I never felt like my skin was on fire either, not even in hell…"

Phoebe smiled teasingly.  
"I told you that you should've been more careful."

"Hardly enough… I thought I had tougher skin than that! Owe!"

Phoebe laughed and moved back slightly.  
"Ok then, but that's too bad remember… tomorrow you'll have to leave here…"

Cole grinned.  
"And who's gonna keep me out?"

Phoebe answered seriously.  
"Now you're not gonna mess with tradition, are you?"

Cole went on with obvious amusement.  
"What do you expect?"

"Cole!" 

"Alright! Alright! I'll stay away… But I'm not very comfortable with you being alone right now," Cole added a little more seriously.

"You forget that I'm not. My sisters and Leo are still here. Don't worry, nothing will happen…"

Cole moved toward her and kissed her lightly, but Phoebe had another idea and she cuddled closer to him.  
"Well I guess it's worth a little pain," Cole said between kisses.

The next afternoon, Phoebe's father was visiting them. Cole tried his best to be agreeable to him. However he wasn't very successful in mollifying his future father in law. Victor had been glaring at him throughout the hour they all spent discussing the details of the wedding with Phoebe and her sisters. In the end, Cole just decided to give up trying and announced that he was going to check on the worker's progress with their new house.  
"You want to go there, now?" Phoebe questioned.

"Well, I better have a look… You know that the work progresses better when they feel we're watching them…"

Surprisingly, Victor suddenly showed interest in this.  
"Would you mind if I went along? I'd really like to get a look at this place…"

The request surprised Cole, as it did the sisters. However, Cole still acquiesced with a forced smile. As the two men were making their way toward the house, the real reason for Victor's insistence became rapidly obvious.  
"I've been meaning to have a talk with you… in private."

Cole repressed a sigh and then turned toward him.  
"What about?"

Victor immediately addressed his main concern.  
"Well, since it seems that my daughter is really going through with this, I wanna make sure you know I'll be watching you…"

"Hum, you really have nothing to worry about. I'd never hurt your daughter…"

"Actually, I don't know that. To me, no matter what the girls are saying, you're still a demon. And as such, you can never be trusted completely…"

Cole sighed heavily this time, not even trying to hide it.  
"I imagine that telling you again how important Phoebe is to me won't change your opinion?"

"I can see she loves you. And it tells me that somehow, there must be a reason. But I've seen too many horror stories from your side to ever trust any demon…"

"Well I guess that I'll have to live with it… Meanwhile, we both want your daughter's happiness. So, what do you say we declare a truce, at least for the next couple of days? Phoebe's already nervous enough as it is…"

"Fine, just don't expect too much…" Victor agreed reluctantly.

They came close to the new house, and Victor could see that the work was almost finished already.  
"Well I see that they've worked overtime… Only 2 weeks for all this?"

"I can be very convincing when I want to… And besides, I want us to start our life here as soon as possible, and so does Phoebe," he added quickly, seeing the disapproving look that Victor was casting his way. 

However, this one seemed to remember his promise of a truce.  
"So, are you gonna respect the tradition?"

"In what way?"

"By staying away the night before the wedding..."

"I agreed, although I still think it's very silly… As a matter of fact, I made sure that the bedroom in here would be ready for tonight." Cole added, indicating one of the second story windows.

The awkward conversation continued for a little while longer before they returned to the house, obviously both relieved to be done with it. All that time, neither one noticed Matt, as he was listening in. He had followed them, and hid behind a nearby tree; and now, as he was watching them leaving, a satisfied smile danced on his lips.

Later that night, Phoebe and Cole came out of the house, as he was leaving her as promised. However, once outside, he hesitated again.  
"You know that I really don't like leaving you right now. So many things could go wrong…"

Phoebe smiled sweetly.  
"You don't have to worry at all. I'll be fine, just as long as you don't stand me up tomorrow…"

Cole smiled widely at this, and then he opened his arms for her.   
"You couldn't keep me away even if you wanted to."

Phoebe uttered sweetly, as she came to lean against him, "Promise?"

Cole sealed it with a languorous kiss, from which they both were reluctant to break away. As they were parting, Cole whispered, "I love you."

Phoebe stroked his cheek tenderly, and had to force herself to turn toward the house as she answered.

"I love you too. I can't wait till tomorrow."

Cole watched her going back inside and lingered a moment longer. He was tempted to return on his promise right then, but he knew that Phoebe would be upset if he did. Traditions were hard enough to follow for both of them without him breaking this one too. He sighed and instead, took the direction of their future home.

The darkness didn't bother him at all, as he was used to much less amenities. Even if the house was still bare, he had a bed brought in that afternoon and it still seemed like a palace compared to the mausoleum and the underworld. Still, being without Phoebe was uncomfortable. In the past few months, with the exception of a few occasions out of their control, they had spent most of their time together. What's more, because of what happened to her a few weeks back, he was very worried to leave her, even for such a short period of time. No matter her assurances to the contrary, Cole couldn't help being anxious. Somehow, he had a bad feeling all day, but he put it on Victor's visit, which he admitted to himself, unnerved him more than he had cared to tell Phoebe. In fact, he was surprised how much he would have liked to get Victor's approval, but Cole knew it was probably asking too much.

At least, the evening went well, Cole thought, as he was climbing the stairs. Victor respected his promise of truce and even managed to be pleasant to him. Cole knew that it really was to please Phoebe, but he was grateful for this. 

The house smelled of fresh paint, one more thing that he wasn't all that used to. As he was entering their future bedroom, he sensed something amiss and looked around curiously. "It'd be like them to show up the night before my wedding," he thought to himself, referring to one or another henchman sent by the Source. He couldn't really see anything there and finally shook off the malaise, again telling himself that it was all because of his anxiety at staying away from Phoebe. There was also the fact that, as time went by, he was becoming increasingly nervous. It surprised him a lot that he was so jittery, considering that he really had no doubts whatsoever… but there it was. Cole undressed, still thinking about all of this, and never noticed the boy crouching on the other side of the bed…

Matt was holding his breath, at once with anticipation and fear… Right then, he was questioning his perfect plan, wondering if he really thought it through… However, his doubts were not enough to convince him to reconsider. He had to get this power and that was the end of it… Matt was an orphan, whose parents were killed under mysterious circumstances when he was five years old. He hardly remembered anything about them, except he knew that they were magical beings. This, he never revealed to any of his foster parents, whom were numerous. His short stature was not the only thing that made him feel awkward with other kids. Matt also felt isolated, even among his new friends. He needed a boost, which would make him feel superior for once in his life, and he was sure that this man's powers would provide this to him. He stayed very immobile and quiet as he waited, having no intention of risking discovery before he was ready. Then, when he was convinced that the man, whom he now knew as Cole, had fallen asleep, he slowly got out of his hiding place.

Matt was trembling as he approached Cole as quietly as he could. Nevertheless, he was determined more than ever to take what he came for…

When he was certain that Cole wouldn't wake up, he leaned over him and quickly put both his hands flat on his chest, pulling Cole's life force as fast as he could. Cole woke up immediately when he felt the boy's touch, but even as he tried to push him away, he realized that his arms felt like rocks. He struggled weakly against the boy but very soon he felt himself slipping into darkness…

Phoebe had just gone up to her room after a little talk with her sisters, and she was now preparing for bed. All the while, she longingly gazed through the window, toward their future house. Even if she was the one who wanted it, right then she wished that Cole were here with her… Phoebe had to repress the temptation to simply call him to her magically, and she berated herself for the thought. She wanted to do it the right way, but it still felt wrong to be alone. Phoebe wondered if Cole was feeling the same … 

Downtown, that night, a series of incidents more bizarre one than the next occurred. Many citizens reported loud explosions accompanied by bright lights… Some even came forward with a fantastic story about a red monster, which was rampaging in their neighborhood. One at least, swore he had seen the monster vanishing in thin air in front of him. Fortunately, no one was injured and the police finally decided that it had to be some kid's prank. Nevertheless, journalists got a hold of the story, probably from a police scanner, and they came to the witness who claimed having seen the monster vanishing. Then they also took many pictures of the devastation left behind where people had reported the explosions. They found scorched marks in many places, as if someone had thrown fireballs at walls and a few cars…

The next morning, Phoebe came downstairs giddy with anticipation. She had only slept a few hours, and she couldn't wait to start this day. She was smiling happily when coming into the kitchen, but her sisters' worried expressions stopped her short.  
"Hey, what's going on?"

"Nothing I'm sure," Prue answered, as she was coming to hug her sister.

"You can't lie to me; remember I was the one who fibbed for you on Piper's wedding day…"

"Alright, it's probably not what we think it is," Piper said then, "but we saw something on the news that's very troubling…"

Phoebe sensed that there was much more to it.  
"Come on, don't keep me hanging."

"We've heard something about a red monster causing damage in the downtown area last night…"

Phoebe stared at her sisters in puzzlement.   
"Well, that's not very discreet of the demon, but it's not like we've never seen something like that."

"I taped a segment of the show, and I don't think you're gonna like what you see."

"If I have to vanquish a demon today, so be it. Let's just do it so this day can proceed…"

Piper said very seriously, "Phoebe, you don't understand… you should sit down…"

Phoebe hesitated, the sensation in the pit of her stomach a very unpleasant one. She knew from the way they behaved that she wouldn't like what she was about to see, and she took a seat at the counter, dreading what was coming. As soon as Piper played the recording, she felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. In front of her on the small screen, she could see the form of Belthazor, looking directly at the camera, and as she was staring, an energy ball was building in his right hand. Apparently, the cinematographer barely had time to dodge the attack, as the camera went down right then, but one could hear the explosion clearly. When the reporter came back in focus, Belthazor was nowhere in sight. However, the reporter, out of breath, directed the camera toward the devastation that he left behind.

The commentator was talking of a military exercise, maybe a soldier of the future gone crazy… In addition, just as Piper was going to stop the recording, the news was switching to a genetics specialist, who was speculating on the possibilities…

Prue said hesitantly, "At least, no one screamed demon…"

"That's impossible! Why?" Phoebe exclaimed at last. She was babbling, unable to comprehend what she just saw. There was nothing in his attitude of the previous night that could have indicated something was wrong, and yet, the clip was very clear. There was still something that bothered her about it, besides the obvious however.  
"Did you go to the house yet?" Phoebe questioned hesitantly.

"No, we were waiting for you."

Phoebe still didn't move, and stared at the TV set with a troubled expression. Ignoring her sisters' questioning looks, she went to pick up the remote, intent on rewinding the tape. However, that is when her hand brushed against a glass left on the counter from the night before, and then a vision started.

"_She saw a playground, most probably behind of a school. She could make out the word Lewis on the wall. Then she saw kids stepping away from a vague shape in a shadowed corner of the yard. They seemed terrified, and it proved to be justified, as the vague shape was illuminated for a short instant by an energy ball that he threw at them. One of the kids was stricken fully in the chest, and then burst into flames. The others watched this for a second, horrified, and then they started running away, as the form in the corner shimmered out of sight…"_

In the instant of the flash, she had recognized Belthazor, but something was still amiss. Nevertheless, she couldn't ignore this as she somehow knew that it was about to happen. Her eyes were bright with tears as she answered her sisters' unspoken question.  
"We've got to go to the Lewis High school now…"

"What was it?" Piper asked anxiously, seeing the distress on Phoebe's face.

In a strangled voice, Phoebe related her vision to them. They were all devastated, but there was no time to dwell on this. Right then, they had an innocent to save. 

Victor, who stayed at the house the night before, was just coming down the stairs and barely saw his daughters rushing out of the house without a word to him. He didn't need any explanation though, as he knew that only a problem of supernatural nature would send them out this early and on this particular day.

Therefore, he set up to wait for them after making his own breakfast. However, when he turned on the TV, he caught a rerun of the news segment of the morning and rage washed over him at what he saw. After all the promises the demon made, and on his wedding day yet…

The girls arrived in the schoolyard to find a little group of kids Phoebe recognized with relief as the same kids she had seen in her vision. The kid that was going to be killed was still with them and they didn't seem scared at the moment. The sisters approached them rapidly and convinced the kids to go inside the school, as they themselves set out to wait for Belthazor. They didn't know exactly what they would do, but at least they had prevented the worst from occurring. 

Cole woke up groggily from a dreamless sleep, and at first, he had difficulties remembering what happened to him. He felt weaker than he had in his entire life. The memories of the night before came back slowly to him, as he was trying to stand up. As he was trying to clear his thoughts, he realized something that made him start. All his life he had known for a fact that somewhere inside of him lurked a beast always ready to come out. Even after his human half had taken over, he had to fight the urges that the demon sent to him. However, right now, for the first time, he couldn't feel him. No matter how much he tried, he could feel no trace of the demon inside. A strange peace came over him at this. Something he had not thought possible happened. The demon had been purged from him somehow… 

The girls didn't have to wait long to see the attacker shimmering in. However, when they saw the one they thought was Belthazor, Phoebe immediately understood what it was that bothered her about the tape and her premonition. The demon standing before her was at least one foot shorter than the Belthazor she knew. Looking back quickly at her sisters, she saw that they had come to the same conclusion from their astounded expressions. In fact, they were so shocked that it took them too long to react and the demon, realizing those were here for him, didn't wait for them to act and shimmered out almost immediately. It had all happened so fast that Phoebe had to ask Piper and Prue if they really had seen the same as she did… 

"What do you know? Are you sure that your beau doesn't have other kids?" Piper asked with a forced smile in a vague attempt at relaxing the tension. However, it fell flat as Phoebe really wasn't in the mood for this kind of humor. Actually she was almost thinking the same thing and it was none too pleasant.

After having made sure that the kids were safely in class, they got back to the car in silence.

Cole was almost euphoric. All his life, he had never felt so carefree. He could sense no dark impulses whatsoever, and right then, thought that maybe the whole thing was a blessing in disguise. Almost a gift for this day… He had found enough of his strength back to make his way to the manor, but when he opened the back door, Victor was glowering furiously at him. Cole was so stunned by his attitude that he did not even react when Victor's fist connected hard with his jaw, sending him flying backward on the steps, where Cole fell heavily… He massaged his jaw, all the while looking directly at his assailant, the pleasant sensations gone.   
"What the hell is the matter with you?" Cole asked Victor with an outraged intonation.

"The nerve of you to come back here after what you've done."

Cole's eyes widened at this, as puzzlement replaced anger.  
"What am I supposed to be guilty of? I've been in the other house since last night…"

"Hum, maybe then you could explain to me and to Phoebe, when she comes home, what the hell you were doing downtown last night, attacking reporters…"

Cole's jaw simply dropped.  
"What?"

"You can't deny; it's all over the news… I knew a demon couldn't be trusted and I'm glad that Phoebe's gonna know it before it's too late."

Cole was about to try defending himself, when the girls returning caught both their attentions. Victor stepped back inside and Cole, still massaging his jaw, moved slowly toward the door, keeping his distance from his irate future father in law…

On TV, he saw what had angered him though, as the picture was still frozen on him about to throw an energy ball. Seeing this, Cole's confusion deepened. He was so shocked that he didn't even stop to look at Phoebe went she entered the kitchen, soon followed by her sisters.  
"Cole?"

He reluctantly turned away from the set and looked back at Phoebe just as questioningly.  
"What the hell's going on?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing…"

He saw right away that she took those events very seriously.  
"I swear to you, that wasn't me."

"Now, we know that. It couldn't have been. We just saw the one from this picture on a playground, and he was one foot shorter than your demon half…" She had declared all this with a suspicious overtone to it. 

Nevertheless, try as he may, Cole couldn't understand what she reproached him exactly. In doubt, he kept silent, waiting for her to ask what she really wanted to.  
"Who is that?" Phoebe finally uttered, indicating the freeze frame.

"I have no idea."

"Come on," Phoebe insisted aggressively, "you can't tell me that a demon looking almost exactly like you exists and that you have no idea who he is…"

"I swear to you, I have no idea…" Cole's voice trailed, as he began to remember about the night before more clearly. He had been so eager to tell her what was happening to him, that he almost forgot how it had come to pass… "Maybe…"

"What?" Phoebe questioned impatiently.

Cole sighed.  
"Maybe it was that kid…"

Prue interjected.  
"What kid? What are you talking about?"

Cole was shaking his head uncertainly. He was beginning to feel dizzy but he still wanted to clear the air.  
"Something happened last night. This kid was in the house, and I woke up to find him leaning over me and then, everything went black. I've got no idea what happened after that. I just woke up this morning…"

Phoebe asked nervously, "What are you talking about?"

Cole looked back at her.  
"I wish I could tell you more, but that's all I remember. Phoebe, something wonderful happened. That's what I was coming here to tell you…"

Now Phoebe was dumfounded. Things appeared less than wonderful from her perspective, and she could not imagine what would make him think that anything could make up for it. Of course, she was wrong…  
"The demon's gone, Phoebe…"

Phoebe stared at him, totally in the dark as to what he meant.  
"Cole? Have you been drinking?" It actually made some sense to her, as he didn't look very solid on his feet at the moment.

"No Phoebe, you don't understand; the demon isn't inside me anymore…"

Phoebe approached him slowly, while the others stared at him in turn, as if he had gone crazy or delusional, or both…  
"That's impossible." Phoebe trailed uncertainly.

"I know but there it is. I can't feel Belthazor anymore. Not since I woke up this morning."

As the two of them watched each other in puzzlement, Prue and Piper finally thought that they found the connection to what happened. Although for the life of them, they could not figure out how this was done.

Prue asked, "Who was that kid?"

Cole slowly turned to her.  
"I told you, I haven't the faintest idea."

Even as he was saying it, the dizziness worsened and, without even realizing it, he fell to the floor, unconscious again.

Matt was now hiding away in an alley. He needed everything he had to keep the demon from taking over… At first, the awesome power had amused him to no end, until that journalist crew tracked him down. The demon reacted violently at this, trying to kill them. Matt understood right then that he had lost it. This morning, he had wanted to talk to his friends about his problems, as he didn't know who else to turn to. Instead, he found himself face to face with the man's companions. Now he had no idea on what he should do. It didn't help that when he had seen them, the demon tried to force him to attack; particularly the pregnant one. He seemed to be especially angry with her. 

From the start, he was taken by surprise. It had never been his intention to become something else, but the entity that was threatening to take over, jumped in him as he was connecting with Cole. It had felt as if the demon had been looking for a way to escape and jumped at the chance when Matt touched Cole. 

This one was now very scared and wondered how he could get himself out of this mess…

At the manor, the girls called Leo for help after transporting an unconscious Cole to the living room. They still didn't understand what really happened. Cole was just waking up. At first, he only felt Phoebe's hand on his forehead, as she was caressing him in a soothing manner, and all he wanted was to stay in that moment, as he sensed that something terribly wrong was happening. Then he heard Leo's comments.  
"He told you the truth. I can't feel Belthazor inside him at all…"

Phoebe's hand flew away, and Cole opened his eyes to find himself looking directly at her amazed expression.  
"Cole! Are you ok?"

He answered in a thick voice that he barely recognized as his own.  
"I think so… what happened?"

Leo had a theory about it that didn't make them happy.  
"I'm afraid that I might've an idea on what's wrong with you and none of you will like this…"

"What is it?" Prue questioned warily.

"I don't think Cole can stay alive without his other half…"

Cole cleared his throat and tried to stand up.  
"What do you mean?" He was still very weak and had to sit back, leaning on the cushions. The sensation was an unpleasant one at this.

"I'm afraid that you're growing weaker by the moment because you lost a part of yourself in whatever separated you from Belthazor…"

Cole was loath to think of the demon as a necessity. Nevertheless, he had to admit that he had never felt this bad before. He had to force himself to stay focussed. As he turned to Phoebe, sitting beside him, he could see the disappointment and fear in her expression. This pained him even more.

Phoebe had obviously deluded herself in thinking that they might have gotten rid of his demon half for good. Now that it appeared to be a necessity for his existence, she probably was very upset. She could read the pain in his eyes because she said, "That's ok… we've managed with it until now, so we'll just have to do it again. Right now, we've got to find a way to bring him back," she added for the others.

"That still doesn't explain how it happened?" Piper questioned then.

"I can't be sure," Leo answered… "But there are witches with the power to drain people's energy… Maybe somehow, Belthazor found a way to slip into one of those…"

Cole uttered a weak, "That boy…"

"I'm supposing so, yes. However, I've got no idea how he found out about you."

"It really doesn't matter now," Prue said firmly, "what does is that we need to find him and a way to reverse this…"

Leo nodded in agreement, while Piper added, "Let's look up the book, maybe there's something in it…"

Piper, Prue and Leo left the room, leaving Cole and Phoebe alone…

They were not too sure how to deal with this; and Cole felt as if he was slipping away. Still, he wanted them to talk about it.  
"I'm sorry, Phoebe."

"About what…?" Phoebe asked, although she understood perfectly.

She was looking away from him and Cole put light fingers under her chin, delicately forcing her to look at him.  
"I wish there was a way to keep him out, I assure you."

Phoebe sadly answered, "I know…"

"If you wish to reconsider…"

"Never!" Phoebe exclaimed forcefully, this time. "I was hoping that our problems ended with your demon half, that's true, but I love you as you are, no matter what."

Cole smiled weakly.  
"Maybe, I should just let it be and not try to take him back…"

"No!" Phoebe almost screamed. "You can't mean that."

"Phoebe, you don't know how it feels to fight darkness every day…"

"I know you can. I won't let you give up."

Cole sighed warily at this.  
"Are you sure it's worth it? All the suffering that we went through because of him…"

Phoebe came closer, caressing his face tenderly.  
"The alternative's unacceptable… I won't lose you."

Looking at her beautiful face, this woman he loved so completely, Cole knew right then that he couldn't possibly give up on their life together, even though he wished so much that he never had to feel the demon again. 

Phoebe leaned over to him and kissed him lightly.  
"We're gonna be ok, will we?" She asked almost fearfully.

"Yes, we will." Cole tried to say this with conviction but Phoebe still sensed that he wasn't too sure about this. Rather than arguing, she leaned against his chest, hiding from him the tears that she couldn't help coming. 

For a short moment, she had imagined that they would finally be at the very least almost normal. That all the troubles they had in the past were truly behind them. She knew that he had believed the same as he was coming home to her. However, all this was shattered, and now, all that was left was the fear of losing him. She could feel his breathing deepening and slowing, and knew that he had fallen asleep. She was almost tempted to shake him awake for fear that this time he might not wake up. Nevertheless, she just stayed there, waiting for the others and hoping that they would find the solution rapidly. 

Matt was back in front of the manor. He had managed to regain just enough control over himself to be in his human form. However, he wasn't too sure if it was his idea to come here to be saved or the demon's desire for revenge that had really motivated his return to this place. Either way, he knew that something would have to happen soon… Trying very hard to keep control, Matt started slowly toward the front door…

In the attic, Prue was frantically looking up the book of shadows, trying to find anything to reverse the magic, which was causing all these troubles. Leo, who had orbed up to ask for some advice from the elders, was just returning.  
"They're not exactly sure how to resolve this…"

Piper turned to him irritably.  
"When are they gonna have a straight answer for a change?" 

The edge in her voice was palpable, as they were all very tense now.  
Leo couldn't help feeling the attack as a personal one.

"They're doing what they can and so am I, Piper…"

Piper showed a little contrition at this.  
"I'm sorry… I know they are, but this is really, really bad! I mean poor Phoebe! Didn't she have enough to endure already?"

"I know that. But we'll find a way. Although, it's true that his retrieving his demon half is not exactly the ideal solution."

"Do they have another solution besides letting him die?" Piper replied with the edge returning to her voice.

"Unfortunately no…"

Prue interrupted them.  
"Eureka!" She exclaimed.

The other two turned to her, hopeful.

"I found a spell to reverse the magic, although it's dangerous…"

"How dangerous?" Piper questioned suspiciously.

"Well, Cole and Belthazor have to be in physical contact during the spell…"

"And what spell is that?"

"It's a variation on a depossession spell. The only thing is I can't be sure of the result either for the boy or Cole…" 

She was copying the spell as she spoke. The doorbell interrupted her explanations and she hurried to finish transcribing before following the others out of the attic.

In the living room, Phoebe felt him react to the noise with relief. Cole put his hand on her shoulders and then nudged her up gently.   
"I'm fine," he said, as he guessed that she was still very worried.

Phoebe reluctantly went to answer the door… She was almost there, when it positively exploded inward, exposing Belthazor, who was apparently very angry. He spotted her immediately and started toward her menacingly, growling.

Prue, Piper and Leo were just coming down the stairs when they took in the scene, horrified. Prue reacted quickly by tking the demon backward, and then she ran toward Phoebe. Cole, in the meantime, heard the commotion and used every bit of strength he had left to stand up and hurry toward the foyer. He understood that his demon half was directing all his anger toward Phoebe and he called to him.  
"Hey, it's not her that you want, it's me!"

Belthazor turned toward him with the same anger, more intense if possible, as he was getting back up. And as Cole hoped, he changed target to come after him.

However, Cole had barely enough strength left to stand up and the demon threw him off as if he weighed nothing. Cole flew across the living room and fell on an easy chair that toppled under the shock. He screamed in pain as he felt one or more of his ribs cracking. 

The demon advanced on him, obviously intent on punishing him some more. Prue and Piper watched until they saw that the two of them were touching each other and then they started chanting the depossession spell.

** "Hear these words, you must be warned,  
For Thy essence is wrongly owned,  
This vessel wasn't meant for Thee,  
To thy owner be returned, so let it be"**

Belthazor realized that something was happening from the moment he heard the first words of the spell. However, he found himself frozen in place. This was a very uncomfortable situation for Cole, as Belthazor was almost crushing his throat. Nevertheless, as they spoke the last word of the spell, the demon visibly came apart from the boy, whom they finally could see, and he reentered Cole's body. This one immediately transformed to his demon self and, again growling, he pushed the boy away violently before taking a step back. The boy fell rudely at the girls' feet and stayed on the floor.

Phoebe went to Belthazor cautiously.  
"Cole? Are you ok?"

The demon looked at her with obvious confusion. Then, after a fashion, he seemed to remember what happened, and Cole returned to his human form.  
"It's all right Phoebe. I'm ok now."

She took his hand, trying to bring him to her, but he resisted.  
"I need some time to think about this, Phoebe," Cole added instead, and then, ignoring her pleading stare, he shimmered out.

Phoebe took a deep breath, unable to look away for a long moment.

Her sisters and Leo were also a little worried by Cole's reaction, but they felt that now was not the time to comment. Instead, they turned severe expressions toward the boy, who was just getting back up. Matt couldn't look at them directly, as he mumbled, "I'm so sorry, and… thank you."

Leo uttered severely, "You should be ashamed of yourself. Those powers weren't given to you so that you could abuse them for a thrill."

"I know that now," Matt replied, a little more assured. "I promise you it won't happen again."

"We'll be watching you, boy. And if you ever feel the urge to try this again, think of the pain you almost caused here."

This was made clear for Matt when Phoebe turned toward them, her eyes bright with repressed tears.

Piper went to her then, and Phoebe left her head fall on her shoulder, shuddering now that the danger had passed, but not in the least reassured as to what would happened between her and Cole.  
"He'll come back Phoebe, you know that. He always does…"

Phoebe bit her lower lip, but she acquiesced weakly.

Matt was about to ask why they would want a demon to come back, when the sisters looked at him in a way that told him he didn't have a right to ask.

Leo took Matt to the kitchen, promising that he would explain to him the need for secrecy before sending him on his way.

Phoebe was now preparing for her impending wedding, but her heart wasn't in it. Ever since Cole left, she had been increasingly afraid that he would not come back. She remembered what he told her about his daily fight to control the demon inside, and now she was worried that he reproached to her this burden that he was again saddled with. Her mother orbing in pulled her out of those somber thoughts.  
"Phoebe, what is it?" Patti asked softly with a concerned look about her.

"Mom!" Phoebe exclaimed before going to her and burying her face in her mother's bosom. 

Patti hugged her tight, the look of concern deepening.  
"Come on, you're not supposed to be sad today."

Phoebe pulled herself up reluctantly and the tears rolled slowly down her cheeks as she replied, "What if he doesn't come back?"

Patti smiled softly.  
"You know it was difficult for me to understand your love. However, I had the occasion to witness the way he looks at you, as well as what he's done to be with you. He won't give up on you, no more than you'd give up on him…"

Phoebe smiled through her tears, grateful for her mother's encouragement.  
"Now let's get you ready! You can't get married looking like this," Patti added, indicating her ruined makeup. Then she took her arm and gently directed her toward the dressing table. 

Piper and Prue were arranging the flowers, moving them around needlessly to try and occupy their mind, as they were very worried about their sister.

Grams appeared in the room, as she, of course, was going to perform the ceremony.  
"Grams!" Prue exclaimed.

"What, you were expecting someone else," Gram replied with a teasing smile.

Piper smiled sweetly.  
"We should get married more often. I really enjoy these family reunions." But then, the situation being what it was, her joy was short lived.

Grams, like Patti, was obviously apprised of the situation.  
"Don't worry girls… somehow I'm sure that everything will be just fine."

"Well, I don't know about now, but it's true that it isn't the first hurdle they faced. And after all, he's fine and he loves her…"

Grams smiled knowingly at Prue's good words since she knew how difficult it had been for her to accept her sister's boyfriend.

Paul and Leo were just returning now, but they shook their head negatively to answer the unspoken question. Prue had sent them to look for him. Obviously, they hadn't had any luck.

"You looked into the mausoleum also didn't you?"

"Of course," Leo answered, as he was hugging Piper. "Give him some time…" Leo pursued.

"There is only so much time left you know?"

"I'm convinced he knows that too," Leo uttered with more confidence than he felt. "He won't disappoint her, I'm sure of that."

"From your mouth to…" She interrupted herself as her attention was caught by a sound coming from the foyer…

Phoebe was ready now, and she was pacing the room impatiently under her mother's watchful eyes. The wedding was only a few minutes away, and she still had received no news. Now she was not only worried but a little angry as well. "How could he not be there on the most important moment of our lives?" She thought somewhat bitterly.

Patti came to her.  
"I'll go see if everything is ready…"

Phoebe didn't mention the obvious as she knew what her mother meant. However, her mother had barely left the room that she was coming back… Phoebe stared at her in puzzlement at first, and then seeing her joyous expression, the smile came back to her lips.

Downstairs, Prue was somewhat chastising Cole for his tardiness.  
"Don't you think that you cut it a little short?"

Cole smiled teasingly.  
"What? Is there something wrong with my outfit?"

Prue couldn't help but smile at this.  
"You're insufferable…"

"Enough of this, kids. It's time…" Grams called.

Everyone took his/her assigned position at this point. Even Daryl was present along with Paul and Joel, who had come along with his adopted uncle. 

When Grams was satisfied that everything was ready, as Patti took her own place, she started the nuptial music magically. Then everyone turned toward the stairs to see Phoebe coming down at her father's arm. She was now all smiles; totally reassured that nothing would interfere anymore. Her gown, she had chosen long and of a warm pink. The dress was simple and elegant, designed to mask her pregnant figures. She had arranged her hair in a bun, with small white flowers throughout.

Cole looked up at her and all of his worries seemed to melt away. His eyes brightened at this point, and he impatiently waited for her to come near. Before they turned toward Grams though, he took Phoebe's hands in his and whispered. "I'm sorry."

Phoebe whispered back, "Don't be, you're here."

They gazed at each other for a long moment and almost forgot about the others until Grams cleared her throat.  
"Well, it's time now."

They then finally turned to her so that the ceremony could begin at last… 

Grams began, "We're gathered here today to unite these two souls as one. Do you, Phoebe Halliwell and Cole Turner, join us here today of your own free will to acknowledge the eternal bond shared by both of you?"

Cole smiled as he said, "I do."

"I most certainly do." Phoebe answered as well, almost impatiently.

"You may now join hands and recite your own vows."

"Phoebe…" Cole paused for an instant, and then he continued, "less than two years ago, I didn't know what love was. Then, I met you and I knew… I also knew that I never wanted to lose you. I love you, and a thousand lifetimes wouldn't suffice to show you how much."

Phoebe smiled sweetly and then she began her own vows.  
"Cole, I love you… To be with you, I wouldn't hesitate to walk through the fires of hell… Actually, I might have…" She said this with a little teasing smile. "But I want you to know," she continued more seriously, "that I'd do it again and again. We were meant to be and I'll love you till the end of time and beyond."

After a moment of silence, Grams took back the control of the ceremony.  
"Here before witnesses, Cole and Phoebe have sworn their vows to each other. With these cords," the ropes magically turned around both their wrists, "I bind them to those vows."

Together, Cole and Phoebe recited the last part of the vows. 

"Heart to thee  
Body to thee,  
Always and forever,  
So mode it be!"  


"You may kiss her now…" Grams uttered softly with a smile.

This Cole did, under the relieved gazes of their family and friends.


End file.
